As songwriters, we’re always on the lookout for fresh song ideas. Inspiration is floating around us all the time, and it’s our job to catch it and turn it into our own creative vision. Here are five of the most effective ways to gather songwriting inspiration, especially if you’re struggling with writer’s block.

Keeping your songwriting organized can make you a more efficient songwriter and save plenty of time. The goal is to spend less time on finding your music, and more time on actually creating music. Although organization usually comes down to personal preference, there are several ways to keep your song ideas nice and tidy. Let’s explore some helpful tips to keeping your songwriting more organized and making your life a bit easier.

Did you set a New Year’s resolution to become a better songwriter? If you’re serious about achieving your songwriting goals this year, there’s no better way to turn words into action than by joining SongwriterLink’s FREE 30-day co-writing challenge, starting February 1.

If you’ve been creative for any length of time, you’ve noticed that things tend to ebb and flow. You can have an incredibly productive month (or two, or three) and then be tapped out for ideas for a little while. It happens to everybody. Pro writers are able to sidestep that issue by having something called a “hookbook.” A hook is nothing more than an idea – usually a song title, but it could be a guitar lick or melody line. Here’s what you need to know about starting your very own hookbook.

Maybe you’ve had a run of songwriting appointments that weren’t clicking, or maybe you’re just starting out and want to get off on the right foot. Here are just a few tips to whittle down your potential list of co-writers to the real gems.

Many artists and writers outside of Nashville tend to do solo writes (pop artists being an occasional exception). Nashville is a bit different in that writers often team up to collaborate. The process can be daunting and confusing. I’ve had friends and writers tell me about sessions that weren’t working. “Is this me? I must be a bad writer…” Most of the time, that’s not the case and simply a matter of personalities and styles not gelling. Here’s just a few ways to tell if it’s not working out.